Seems to be a few questions amoung the first years about DivX. The website, the codec and the free player (which is generally bundled with the codec) is available for free download from the DivX website.
DivX is just a codec. So what's a codec? It's a way of compressing video to make it teeny-tiny but also trying to keep as much quality as possible. So far, DivX seems to be the best picture vs. smallest size that I have ever found, comparable only to MPEG 4. DivX is not a part of the Microsoft machine, so you have to hunt for the codec yourself and download it. It's not hard to find, just download it above. Yes, it works with Windows XP and Windows Media Player.
That is all. Email me with questions.
Posted by Mike at February 4, 2004 10:50 PMFor more comprehensive codec packs, try out:
http://nimo.titanesk.com/modules/news/
http://www.axisnova.com/articles/k_lite_codec_pack.shtml
http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/software2.htm
http://home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/finalbuilds.htm
The last link also has a copy of 'Real Alternative', which lets you play RealMedia w/o installing the attrocious Real Players.
For WMP alternatives:
SASAMI2k: http://sasami2k.new21.net/
Media Player Classic: http://sourceforge.net/projects/guliverkli
I still use the former most of the time despite the lack of updates. MPC gets better and better though.
BTW, DivX *is* MPEG-4, or at least an MPEG-4 implementation (it started out as a hack of Microsoft's MPEG-4 v3 codec for an AVI container, but has since been re-written from scratch).
BTW, in a recent doom9 shootout, XviD came out on top: http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/codecs-203-1.htm
Apple's MPEG-4 wasn't tested (it's not that good IMO) although Sorenson's SV3 is definitely competitive w/ everything out there. Quality-wise though, the WM8+ codecs are probably the best out there right now.
Posted by: leonard at February 4, 2004 11:42 PM
MPEG-4 rocks hardcore. I use it to compress all my video for the web now.
Posted by: Sam K. at February 6, 2004 03:56 PM
Thanks for the details Leonard, I forgot about Xvid. And hello Mr. Kahn, didn't know you checked out this little blog!
Posted by: Mike B at February 7, 2004 02:48 PM
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)